Why is it not okay to say Negro?

Question

Negro is the actual term for black as latino to south american/southeast europians and caucasians to white north american/north europians.
Why do some people assume offence with the word negro though in defination it means "a member of a race of humankind native to Africa and classified according to physical features (as dark skin pigmentation)"
Is there another word to be using?
African american is incorrect because not all Negro's originated from Africa or are american. (Though admittedly it's only in North American I find people offended by the word Negro {and I understand it's because of the progressive development from the word Negro to N*gg*r})

Answer 1

Ignorance is the blame for that. People take offense to that word because it sounds bad and they don't know exactly what it means.

Answer 2

The word Negro, is still used in some places, by some people.

The word it's self is not and should not be considered offensive.
HOWEVER, the rules of etiquette have changed (updated).

Since so many of the younger generation, never heard the word in the correct context, it is often mistaken as a negative word.

Think of it in the way you would the word 'gay'. The original meaning was to be happy.
Today while the original meaning is still correct, most would think of the new meaning.

If you really want to see a word that has changed meanings, look up the word 'f a g'.

Answer 3

because Negro is a loaded term like b**ch. Even thought b**ch means a female dog, people have abused it like the word negro. First of all , All blacks come from Africa. All of the Carribean people can be traced back to africa. African American is saying that you have people who migrated FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA even though we didn't. Same for South Africans. They're white, not your average africans. they came from europe and migrated to Africa. That's where the term comes from and QUITE FRANKLY, if you say negro to any black people wherever , they will find it offensive. Another reason is because negro is a OUTDATED WORD. That's like calling a biracial person a quadroon, octoroon, hexadecaroon and quintroon.

Answer 4

Negro is a spanish for black with a short e instead of a long e (spelled the same) or if it is the long e then I guess it is out dated. They used that when ...in the 70's, early 80's?

Answer 5

Because the word is derived from white people who made it up to fit a people who they had conquered and it's use dates back to the days of slavery in america(lowercase)
If you notice in your question , you found words to describe other races which gave them a better eloquence , yet when it came to blacks it was the almost derogative!
Lets really go back in history and discover the origins of the word N*gg*r!
In old England it was a word used in slang to define people who went to debtors prisons! Did you know that?
Did you also know that the myth of blacks having bigger feet was created to keep white women in fear of those black men? It only increased their curiousity though!
In the hateful question that you asked, I discovered a total disrespect for all things american in your eyes when it comes to anything that doesn't look like you.
Yet have you enlisted in any Armed Forces under the American flag to protect the freedoms that you espoused here today? Such as free speech and bigotry!
As a Veteran of the United States Armed Forces , I have never seen the likes of you on any battle field fighting for your rights to be a bigot along side of me or any other veteran that I know!
So please do me a favor. Shut up and get a life! If it weren't for your special treatment , do you think the rest of the world gives a darn about your superiority or stance in the scheme of things?
Realize that if you took that speech somewhere else outside of the shores of these United States and stood on your soapbox of lesser learning , do you think your head would rest easy on your shoulders or lie in the gutter of mindless violence waiting for some starving maggot to feast it's jaws upon it?

Answer 6

These terms keep on changing because of those who use them in a hateful way. When I was a little boy, it was not nice to refer to someone as "black," but later it became the preferred word for most people. When in doubt, try not to mention a person's race.

Answer 7

I think it may be more outdated than anything else. Although it is a legitimate word with regards to anthropology, I imagine it may offend some blacks simply becuase it was often used during the same timeframe tha the "n****r " was commonplace. Some may see it as the "polite" way of saying "n****r"..

Answer 8

I think it's not okay to hear from the black people, like very big discrimination to them?,I once told that and an african teacher look at me so bad so I never used it again instead i use african,cameroon,or uganda,

Answer 9

I guess because it sounds a lot like the other "N" word. I don't understand why we can't say "oriental". That just means that they are Asians from the orient. People can be hyper sensitive and turn anything in to a dirty word.

Answer 10

Another word used against Blacks in the U.S. from a long time ago. Just use Black or African-(insert country here) to be on the safe side.